The Three Demons of Konoha
by Archangel N. Bloodraven
Summary: Naruto, the Reluctant jailer finds his life inextricably bound to two others. Watch as these three grow strong together.
1. Chapter 1

Konoha's Three Demons  
Prolog

Thirteen years ago, the powerful nine tailed fox demon Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the hidden ninja of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The Fourth Hokage defeated the demon at the cost of his own life.

This is what many younger villagers know.

In truth, the Kyuubi was far too powerful to be killed by any shinobi, even the great Hokage. As such, the only option left to him was a Forbidden Sealing, trapping the demon's soul and chakra in a newborn babe at the cost of his own life.

This is what many of the older shinobi know.

The fox, knowing it's time was limited, used an ancient demonic art to insure that it's container would be well protected. Knowing of the humans basic need for companionship, the fox bound the young boys fate to two other children in the village, all scarcely older than the boy himself.

This is unknown to all, especially the Reluctant Jailor, the Seeking Avenger, and the Peaceful Warrior

* * *

_The Jailor dreamt of the past._

_Eight years after the fall of the fox, on a night when the moon hung full in the nights sky, the fallen Uchia attacked his clan, intent on killing them all. It was only through the combined forces -and personal injury- of Jailor, Avenger, and Warrior that he was stalled long enough for the Hokage and ANBU to arrive. Though badly weakened, the Uchia clan did not fall that night. The Jailor slipped away silently into the night and an anxious father soon collected the Warrior as well, leaving the third to ponder if the monster that had killed so many of his clansman that blood soaked night really was his older brother. He swore to himself that he would search out the traitor, and bring him to the clan. Preferably alive, but dead if need be, even if it was Itatchi._

_That night was the true birth of the Seeking Avenger, Uchia Sasuke._

* * *

_The Jailor dreamt of the present._

_A pale crescent shone down as the nine year old Jailor raced through the leaves with the Avenger close behind on the ground. Neither youth was able to shake the sick feeling that something was very wrong, a feeling that was centered on the dark clad form fleeing from the pair and the smaller limp form stirring on his shoulder. The Jailor lunged from the branch above, planting his feet squarely in the middle of the adult shinobi's back, driving him to the ground even as the Avenger slid in and caught the still lethargic Warrior in his arms. Pale violet eyes slowly opened as the pair got to their feet and the Jailor landed near them, having kicked off the older man's back, driving him to the ground. The shinobi stood with a growl as the three took up their respective combat stances. The Jailor lunged in first striking and blocking until he was repulsed by the more experienced ninja, only to be replaced by the Avenger. This rotation went on for a time, with the Warrior healing her defender as their opposite number went into battle until she was able to join in as well. The young fighters pressed the advantage of their numbers even as the Hokage and his ANBU arrived with the Warrior' s father, rage pouring off him in waves. But still they pressed on. This man was trying to take one of their own and this they could not permit, out skilled though they were. Drawing on the last of their reserves, each found a new depth of strength, calling forth their birthright from beyond the seal, weapons of formidable elemental power. Calling up their last reserves of chakra, the three struck hard and true, and knew no more._

_The Jailor stirred some time later in the sterile confines of the hospital room. Deep onyx and pale ivory eyes stared back at him curiously. "If your here to kill me, I don't suppose you could wait until I'm out of here?" He asked dryly._

_"You misunderstand, Uzumaki san," The pale eyed Hyuga said. "We haven't come to hurt you."_

_"We've come to thank you, Naruto san." The dark eyed woman replied, smiling warmly. _

_"Uchia sama, no one ever thanks me for anything." Naruto murmured._

_"Well, I am now. The three of you put your lives on the line last year to save people you didn't know and owed no allegiance to." _

_"Uzumaki Naruto." The boy said suddenly._

_"Excuse me?" The Uchia murmured in surprise._

_"When you wish to know someone's name, it is good manners to offer your own first. I am Uzumaki Naruto." _

_"My apologies for our rudeness. I am Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga clan," The imposing clan head bowed deeply. "The little girl you saved is my daughter, Hinata."_

_"And I am Uchia Yuriko. My nephew, Sasuke, was your sword arm tonight, as you were his not so long ago."_

_"How long since the battle?" Naruto asked._

_"You've all been unconscious for a week. The Hokage gave the Raikage he- a rather unpleasant talking to," Yuriko caught herself, remembering she was in the presence of children. "He told him in no uncertain terms that attacking unarmed civilian children is utterly unacceptable."_

_"Even more unforgivable than trying to abduct the heiress of a prominent clan in a village they've signed a peace accord with," Hiashi smiled thinly. "Your presence helped to defuse a political situation that would have had long term repercussion."_

_"So why are we still here?" Naruto murmured, leaning back into the relative comfort of the hospital bed._

_Hiashi grimaced. "You all survived far better than you should have, given your age and skill levels, but you three were badly injured and required medical care. You saved my daughter once again and for that I am eternally grateful."_

_"I... I didn't do anything." Naruto replied._

_"But you did," Yuriko insisted. "Sasuke and Hinata were very badly injured and lost a lot of blood. We were able to save them, thanks to you." _

_"Me?" Naruto arched an eyebrow._

_"Yes," Hiashi replied. "We were able to use your blood in lieu of their own."_

_"M-my blood?" Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he sat bolt upright._

_"Yes, Naruto," Yuriko said. "Your blood flows though their veins. In that sense, you three are siblings now." _

_"You shouldn't have done that." Naruto whispered. "The villagers will all hate them, call them monsters! You shouldn't have done that!"_

_Yuriko grabbed Naruto in a tight hug. "Naruto, listen to me and never forget this. You are not a monster, nor a demon. You are a very special person. I can't tell you why, but one day you'll understand."_

_"You are a guardian of a very powerful force, and I want to be the first to thank you." Hiashi added as a purple haired, cat masked ANBU kunoichi made her presence known, gently forcing the bewildered boy to lay down._

_"He should rest now." She said, bowing respectfully. The two senior clan members nodded and moved to leave._

_"Wait! Why thank me?" Naruto struggled a moment before the ANBU placed a slender finger on his forehead before releasing a burst of chakra from the tip. _

_"For keeping the monsters at bay." She whispered as sleep claimed him._

* * *

_The Jailor dreamt of times to come._

_The Academy teacher Iruka lay heavily against a tree bleeding. "Not the boy." He said with slow determination. "For him I have nothing but respect. He's an excellent student and he works with all his might. But sometimes even so, he's awkward, clumsy... a screw up... people have mocked and shunned him... and it's given him empathy. He knows what it is to be in pain. That boy is no longer your demon fox! He is a citizen of Konoha, Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_"Aww! That is so sweet! Just hearing you say so makes me feel all warm and fuzzy!" His silver haired opponent sneered sarcastically as he slung two large shiruken off his back and began spinning them rapidly. "Well Iruka, I had planned to save you for last... but sometimes things just don't work out the way you plan... so **SAY GOODBYE!**" The figure shouted throwing the twin projectiles of spinning death as hard as he could._

* * *

The Jailor awoke, a silent scream tearing at the back of his throat.

**AN: Obviously I don't own Naruto. That's Masashi Kishimoto. I do own my OC, which includes most of the Uchia clan, and Naruto's parents. Naruto's father is not the Fourth Hokage. I'm sorry, it's been done to death. Time for a change.**

**Feel free to review, it's what I live on. However don't bother telling me the timeline is wrong. I had to change it to make these scenarios even remotely plausible. Also don't tell me the characters are out of character. They're supposed to be. It's the whole point of the exercise. Sasuke still has some family so he's not going to grow up being a complete emo bastard. Naruto now has people who consider him family, so he's less likely to act out seeking attention and he's better trained as a ninja. As for Hinata, since it wasn't a Hyuga who killed the kidnapper and the Hokage was quick to push the political advantage over Cloud, Hinata's internal family dynamic is going to change from canon. Of course, Cloud also isn't going to let the fact that one of their shinobi's was killed by a bunch of nine year olds. **

**Next chapter will come out as soon as I can manage**


	2. Chapter 2

The Three Demon's of Konoha  
Chapter 1

Thirteen year old Naruto dashed hastily down the street followed by a small group of angry villagers. _The old man goes away for two weeks and the idiots think that I have a target painted on my back again. _He growled mentally as he skidded around a corner only to be yanked into an alley. "Transform." A sharp voice hissed even as his rescuer began flashing through hands seals. Naruto immediately did the same and seconds later a non descript brunette man stood in his place, immediately laughing at something his black haired girlfriend had said.

"Hey!" A voice barked from the mouth of the alley. "Have you seen the demon brat?"

"Not here," The disguised Naruto said. "He doesn't seem that smart so he's probably still running in a straight line."

"Ah, of course!" The irate villager nodded before taking off down the street. A moment later the ebony haired girl brought her hand down hard on the brunette's head.

"Don't ever let me hear you insult your intelligence again." She growled.

"Come on, let's get going." The brunette murmured nursing his swelling head as the pair shot to the roofs.

"Why were you running anyway?" Hinata asked, releasing her jutsu as the pair shot across the rooftops.

"I got tied up," He said, releasing his own transformation as he gestured to the barely functional watch on his wrist. "and this thing is on it's last leg. The damn thing doesn't even keep the proper time anymore."

"Back up," Hinata said as they dropped to the academy grounds. "Tied up where?"

"Um... nowhere." Naruto mumbled, backing hastily away from the young woman.

"Naruto..." The Hyuga heiress growled darkly.

"Come on, Hinata," Naruto chuckled, still backpedaling. "You don't think I'd keep any deep dark secrets from you, do you?"

"Yes, Naruto," Sasuke said as the young blonde backed into him in his haste to escape from his friend and sister figure. "Now Naruto, tell us just what's been occupying your time lately."

"All right," Naruto slumped. "I've... I've been learning a new taijutsu style."

Both teens gasped. "Naruto you promised we would all train together! Why did you feel the need to go off on your own?"

"Because you have the Gentle Fist, Hinata, and Sasuke has the Intercepting Fist, and I have Academy Taijutsu, which I suck at. I couldn't bear to let you guys down so I took a chance and struck out on my own."

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Baka! The reason we said we'd all train together was so we could all grow stronger together."

"And protect you from the multitude of people who would love to see you dead," Hinata reminded the blonde as they trudged towards the academy. "So who exactly are you training with?"

"You know Maito Gai?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke paled violently. "So help me brother, if you start wearing green spandex-"

"It's not like that," Naruto said. "The guy has some good ideas for building strength, speed, and stamina, but I think he takes it way too far. His wife on the other hand is far more reasonable."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "Didn't know he was married. So what style is she teaching you?"

"The style is called Fox Dancer. She seems to find that style both highly suited to me, and highly amusing for some reason."

"Anyway, you looking forward to burning that jumpsuit?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh yeah. Today is the last day of the dead last! All I gotta do is pass today's exam, and get placed on a team and this thing is ashes!" Naruto grinned madly as he tugged at his traditional 'Kill me' orange jumpsuit.

"Yeah," Sasuke smiled. "It all comes down to this, doesn't it?" He said thinking back.

**_Flashback_**

**_"Damn it, Naruto!" Sasuke growled as a strike from his sparring partner forced him to slide back into a crouch. "How can you be so devastating here and yet be such a... such a DEAD LAST in classes?"_**

**_"Is it so much to ask that I stay with my brother?" Naruto asked somberly._**

**_"What?" Sasuke stared in surprise._**

**_"Sasuke, you are Konoha's rising star, on the fast track to rookie of the year. If I were to truly go all out, I could probably keep up with you. But If I do that, they'll put me on a team of my own, with my own teammates to care for. And to balance the teams, you will be stuck with the Academy's worst. The dead last."_**

**_"So you're saying..." _**

**_"We are two stars out of a trinity, but for your star to rise, mine must fall."_**

**_End Flashback_**

"Aren't you a little worried Naruto?" Hinata asked as the trio entered the classroom. "I mean you did fail the bunshin part of the test last year."

"I know, but I got it down now." Naruto grinned.

"Oh really?" Both teens were interested now, as the clone technique was something even they had difficulty with.

"Right, now all three of us have abnormally high chakra levels, so to do something simple like bunshin takes intense control. That you both know already."

"Keep going." Hinata said. She truly despised the simple jutsu, specifically because of her larger reserves.

"See, I have a second problem. My chakra... pulses, like waves. So all I have to do is catch the tail end of a chakra wave and that whiff of chakra should be enough for a clone." Naruto explained.

_Drats._ Hinata swore to herself. _Since Sasuke and I don't have those surges it doesn't help us very much. Nothing to do but more control exercises._

"You sure your pulses are gonna come regularly enough?" Sasuke asked.

"One every five seconds, seems to be enough right?" Naruto mused a moment, as his stomach growled.

"Oi, 'ruto," Akimichi Choji called out, getting the blondes attention. "You sound hungry. Wanna bite to eat?"

"Oh, Choji, you are a lifesaver." The blonde student replied as the three moved to gather around their mildly rotund friend. "What ya got?"

"Apples good for ya?" The Akimichi heir asked producing a small bag of the aforementioned fruit before dividing the spoils amongst his friends.

"Much obliged," Naruto ginned as he tucked into the fruity offering. "So what does your family think of your new diet and exercise plan?"

"They think I've lost my mind," Choji grinned. "but I've lost ten pounds and I set a new personal record!"

"Really?" Sasuke arched an eyebrow as he bit into his apple.

"Fifteen laps around Konoha!" The bigger boy exclaimed.

"Good for you, Choji san!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Meh, it's troublesome, " Nara Shikamaru mumbled as he sliced the apple with his kunai. "but it'll be better for your health in the long run, and your family jutsu will do even more damage since you're striking with muscle instead of fat."

"Tell that to my dad," Choji grunted. "He thinks I'm a disgrace to the family."

"There's only one way to prove your merits," Naruto said, finishing off his apple. "You have to prove that your new ways are as good as his old ways."

"Too troublesome," The resident slacker declared. "Anyway, we should probably take our seats. Iruka sensei will be here soon and you'll want to beat out the Sasuke fan girls to the adjacent seats." The trio nodded and hastily took their seats, Hinata on the far right, Sasuke in the middle, and Naruto narrowly edging out Haruno Sakura into the empty seat on Sasuke's left.

"Move it, idiot!" The pink haired girl barked. "Don't you know you're standing in the way of true love?"

The blonde youth leaned back casually in his seat and gave the irate girl a lazy stare. "The only thing I'm standing in the way of is a deluded fan girl trying to take something she hasn't earned."

"Naruto, get your ass out of my chair!" Sakura growled, hoisting Naruto half out of his seat by his collar .

"Let go of me," The blonde hissed. "or don't and then I can make you let go. That'd be fine with me, either way."

Sakura growled and jerked Naruto forward. "Get out!" She snarled.

"No more mister nice dead last." Naruto grinned and brought his feet up an instant before planting both into her chest before sending her flying down the aisle before dropping back into his seat.

"Nice move." Sasuke murmured.

"You ever need to lose fan girls, lemme know." Naruto chuckled, settling back and waiting for Iruka sensei to arrive.

* * *

Iruka mused as he sat finishing a cup of coffee, listening to the stammering report of one of the younger teachers who had investigated the abnormally loud crash that was Naruto's response to Sakura's demand for his seat. _And here I thought Naruto was attracted to her. _Iruka mused silently. _I wonder what other surprises he has in store for me today._

"I guess I should get to class then," Iruka stated. "You coming, Mizuki?"

"I wouldn't miss it." The silver haired chunin smiled broadly as the pair headed back to the classroom.

"All right everyone, settle down." Iruka said taking in the academy students, his eyes lingering on Sakura as she glared at Naruto while rubbing her chest. "Today is the last day of your lives as academy students. The only thing standing between you and your ninja careers," The chunin grinned as he waggled a sheaf of papers at his students. "is this graduation exam."

"There will be four parts," Mizuki said, as he received the written exam from Iruka. "first is this written exam, then we'll move outside for weapon accuracy and taijutsu. We'll break for lunch and finish with ninjutsu. Any questions?" Taking the group's silence as a negative, the assistant instructor handed out the papers.

Naruto frowned at the paper he received and made a quick hand seal. "Excuse me, sensei," The blonde growled as he dispelled the genjutsu from his test. "You had a jonin exam in there."

"Good eye, Naruto," Iruka said, swapping the exams. "That must have gotten in there by accident."

"Must have." The orange clad student narrowed his eyes at both Mizuki and Iruka. _Some accident._

* * *

**AN: I thought this would be a good stopping point, to illustrate a bit more of the deviation from canon. Next up, the exams, but first a little audience participation in the form of polls.**

**1. I'm 99 certain I'm going to make this a Naruto/Hinata pairing. Should I make Naruto monogamous, or should I use the old "Rebuilding a clan" excuse for a harem? **

**2. Who should Sasuke be paired with? We have the usual suspects of Konoha, a female surviving Haku, and Temari of the Sand. Any other suggestions? Harem or No?**

**3. Should Naruto have a bloodline ability? If so what kind? **

**4. I'm thinking that Naruto begins to study seals, Sasuke takes an interest in creating new jutsu, and Hinata creates poisons and other chemicals in their "off duty" time. Do you think they should take a second or possibly more levels of specialization? Please specify what exactly you have in mind.**

**As always reviews are appreciated and help me write a better story. Next chapter coming out ASAP.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Three Demons Of Konoha  
Chapter 2

"All right everyone, pencils down," Iruka called, starting down the aisles to collect the tests. "I'll grade these over lunch. For now, let's head outside for the weapons portion of the test."

"How'd you do?" Hinata asked.

"Aced it!" her two companions said in unison.

"Tch, like Naruto could really ace a test," Sakura snorted.

Yamanaka Ino grinned cheekily. "We never thought Naruto would raise a hand against his _beloved_ Sakura, but I'm sure you remember how that turned out."

"Technically speaking," Naruto interjected. "that was a foot I raised."

"Humph!" Sakura turned up her nose. "You're just jealous because Sasuke's gonna be mine!"

A thin smile played across Ino's lips. "Perhaps," She said, conveniently neglecting to the fact that she was already good friends with the trio thanks initially to her friendship with Shikamaru and Choji- and later through the group's exercises in chakra control.

"Anyway, the weapons test is next," Naruto grinned, producing a small orange book from the inner pocket of his jumpsuit. "but at least we get a short break."

"You know Yuriko-kaasan doesn't like you reading those," Sasuke deadpanned, as Naruto flipped the book open and began skimming lines to find his place giving an occasional perverted giggle.

"What you gonna do about it?" The blonde asked nonchalantly.

"Only one thing I can do," the Uchiha murmured rolling up his sleeves.

"That's right, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered. "Show that pervert who's strongest!"

"Can I borrow it when you're done?" Sasuke asked, checking over his weapons.

"You tell him, Sas- WHAT?" Sakura screamed.

"Quiet, banshee," Hinata grumbled, slamming her elbow into the pink haired girl's gut, winding and silencing her in a single motion. "As for the new book, Sasuke, the line starts here."

"Hn." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just because you got him started on those things, you're the expert now."

"Perverted and proud," Hinata smiled, as they arrived at the field where a number of targets were set up.

"All right class, listen up," Iruka called stepping up to the starter mark. "I'll call you up in groups of four. You are to sink 10 kunai into the 'heart' of our poor dumb victims, as indicated by the bulls eye. I'll be scoring and retrieving your kunai after your attempts."

Naruto was seemingly engrossed in his perverted reading material arching an eyebrow and smiling a thin, sly smile even as he listened to his sensei calling off names. _So it seems he's taking two from the top of the class roster and two from the middle. _Naruto tipped his head to one side as he envisioned the roster in his mind, four columns of neatly printed text running it's length. _At this rate, sensei should call me..._

"Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto, please step forward and ready your weapons." Iruka called as the four students stepped to the mark.

"Oi, Naruto," Sasuke called dispassionately as the blonde knelt slightly to draw three kunai from his hip .

"Hn," the blonde grunted in response, briefly scanning his target before he returning to his book.

"Just remember if we miss, we have to deal with Panda sensei." Naruto paled at the reference to Higurashi Tenten, the bun-haired, weapon-happy genin who had given the three extensive training before their entry into the academy. She believed that her students' performance reflected on her, and anything less than 100 percent accuracy was grounds for punishment.

In other words, if you missed the target, you became the target.

"Then I won't miss," The whisker-faced student murmured grimly, gripping three kunai as he waited for Iruka to start the exercise. After a bit of a wait, he returned to his book calling in the young teacher's direction. "I'm just going to keep reading until we get started, eh, sensei?"

Iruka sighed. "Begin!"

"Three!" Naruto cried letting his first trio fly as his right hand dropped back to his hip, the three fresh kunai going airborne even as he counted off "Six!" With a blur of motion the blonde's hand passed down his left bicep to send another triplet streaking into his target. "Nine!" he called out even as his right hand streaked into the small of his back to find...

Nothing.

Naruto frowned as he dropped to one knee drawing a kunai from a concealed sheath on his ankle and flicking it forward in a high arc. Hearing a satisfying 'thunk', the last Uzumaki rose and finished his count in a subdued murmur of "Ten."

"The results are as follows: Uchiha Sasuke, ten out of ten in fifteen seconds. Uzumaki Naruto, ten out of ten in seventeen seconds. Hyuga Hinata, ten out of ten in twenty seconds. Haruno Sakura, eight out of ten in thirty seconds," Iruka reported returning the kunai to their owners

"Hah! I knew Sasuke-kun was better than you, idiot!" Sakura crowed triumphantly.

"You really don't know when you're outclassed, do you. Sakura?" Hinata glared daggers at her classmate, before cutting off her response. "If you weren't so obsessed with Sasuke, maybe you'd realized that you got the worst score out of the four of us."

"So?" Sakura huffed. "I still passed."

"So it took you _thirty_ _seconds_ to throw ten kunai twenty feet into a stationary target and you missed twice. Do you have any comprehension of what a jounin or ANBU level ninja can do to you from twenty feet away? 'Cause I've fought both, and was lucky enough to just end up in the hospital."

Naruto pointedly ignored the pink-haired shrew as he stashed his book away and started counting his kunai. "Eleven," he murmured. "Why the hell do I have eleven?"

Sasuke looked at the handful of kunai that Iruka had returned to his left hand and the unthrown weapon in his right. "Sensei, I did put ten kunai into the target, didn't I?"

"Yes, Sasuke," Iruka confirmed. "Ten kunai, same as everyone else. Is there a problem?"

"I only carry ten kunai, and yet I have eleven in my hands," Sasuke frowned

"You gotta have one of mine," Naruto said. "I keep six on my hip, three on my bicep, two on my ankle-"

"And one in the small of your back," the brunette murmured, flipping the extra kunai over and holding it out to his classmate. "And just so you know, Sakura, if Naruto had that kunai, he would most likely have tied with me -even though he was throwing one-handed."

"All right, moving on to the shuriken portion of the test. We'll be putting ten shuriken into the same dummies, but for this exercise we leave the targeting to your discretion."

"Are there any factors we need to consider in our attack?" Naruto asked. "Are we aiming to kill or disable? Will there be an interrogation afterwards? Is the enemy aware of us or not?"

Iruka smiled. "Again, I leave all that up to your discretion."

"Right..." Naruto grumbled, tensing as he quickly scanned the target, palming five shuriken into each hand. "I think we're all ready, Iruka sensei."

"Then-" Iruka couldn't help but grin as four of the most promising students in this year's class stood tense and ready- "BEGIN!"

The first syllable had no sooner left the elder ninja's mouth before eight of the orphans's ten shurikens were tossed straight into the air. The two he held flew straight into the targets simulated eyes, even as another pair settled in his hands. These flew into the dummy's wrists as another pair whistled through the air, parting as one sank into the victim's throat and the other slid deeply into its thigh. Throwing the last four with all his not inconsiderable might, Naruto sank one at odd angle into the dummy's chest as the remaining three arced into the back of the dummy's head and knees.

Iruka arched an eyebrow at his student's handiwork. "Some of these are self explanatory, like the eyes and throat, but the others are..."

"Nontraditional?" Naruto grinned. "The two in his wrists most likely severed the nerves and musculature controlling fine motor coordination in the hands. In short, I disabled his ability to use hand seals. The one in his thigh is in the general area of the femoral artery. Slow painful bleed out, good for on-site interrogations. The two in the back of the knees should, in theory, have cut through the muscles needed to keep him standing."

"And the last two?" Iruka murmured, a little shaken by Naruto's knowledge of human physiology and its exploitable vulnerabilities.

"Trick shots. Nothing I'd try in combat. The one in the back of the head was meant to sever the spinal column where it connects with the base of the skull. Easier to do with a kunai, and safer, too. The one in the chest was meant to slide through the enemy's ribs and puncture a lung. A slow death with too many opportunities to counterattack, only really useful for field interrogations."

"How do know so much about a human body?" Sakura asked in genuine awe.

"We three train together," Sasuke spoke up. "It's how we grow stronger."

"The anatomy lessons were primarily for me," Hinata chimed in.

"But why?" Sakura asked, sincerely interested in someone other than Sasuke for once.

"I have a healing talent," Hinata shrugged. "But all the talent in the world does you no good if you don't know how to use it."

"Well," Iruka paused to examine the targets. "It looks like Sasuke was aiming for a silent kill?"

"I was assuming he was a guard unaware of my presence, so yes," The dark-haired boy responded.

"And Hinata! This display of anatomical accuracy is definitely impressive," Iruka gushed. "Did you use your byakugan for this?"

"No sensei," the heiress growled. "I haven't managed to activate my family's bloodline limit yet." That was always a sore spot for both Hinata and Sasuke, both of whom had failed so far to awaken their special eyes.

"Anyway, Sakura seems to have taken a more textbook approach to the targeting," Iruka sounded pleased as he responded, "you four pass the weapons portion!"

"As if Panda sensei would allow us anything less," Hinata murmured, reclaiming her shuriken from the Academy teacher before stepping aside to allow the remaining students to approach for their test.

"All right class, onto Taijutsu. Mizuki sensei will be administering this portion of the exam as I grade the written exam. All you have to do is land one solid blow or knock Mizuki sensei out of the ring within five minutes. If you fail to land a blow or are still outside the ring at the end of that time, you fail this portion of the exam. You can use any techniques or items you'd use in a real shinobi battle. Any questions?" The students shook their heads, and Iruka nodded to Mizuki who turned to start the test only to find Choji, Shikamaru, Ino, and Sakura hovering around the timer.

"Is there a problem?" Mizuki asked.

"We just wanted to make sure all the students got fair and equal treatment," Ino said brightly.

"It would be troublesome if someone was to fail because the instructor shorted their time by a minute or two," Shikamaru grumbled.

"It doesn't matter how you feel about someone personally," Sakura added. "In a test of skill,they should pass or fail on their own merits.

_Damn kids are too perceptive. _Mizuki hid his ire under a smile. _But then again, this is for the best. The demon couldn't tell who slipped the Jounin exam into the stack, so he's not going to trust Iruka or myself for the duration of the exam, and cheating here would only put him more on guard. So we'll play by their rules... for now. _"Well, it's highly unorthodox, but I think it will work just fine. First up, Akimichi Choji."

* * *

"So what are you gonna do?" Hinata asked as Sasuke spun around Mizuki to sweep his legs from under him. "Oh, this can't end well."

"Up he goes," Naruto agreed. "As for Mizuki, I guess I'm gonna have to ring him out hard."

"Good idea," the pale eyed girl said, grimacing as Sasuke appeared above the bewildered instructor, an instant before the youth buried his elbow in the silver haired man's gut. "Want any help?"

"Nah," the youth murmured, palming a vial of dark red liquid. "This should be all I need."

Hinata arched an eyebrow. "I remember everything I make so I know exactly what that does. Is it what you want?"

Naruto leaned back and closed his eyes, listening to Mizuki wheeze as the teens reset the timer. "It'll be just fine, and you'll have a chance to see my new style." Yawning, the youth pushed to his feet and ambled towards the testing area.

"We still want to meet your new sensei, and don't think that you're off the hook for going off to train on your own, either." Sasuke glared at the passing shinobi hopeful before settling down and resting his eyes.

"Uzumaki Naruto, ready?" Mizuki asked. Naruto nodded and dropped back into a graceful stance, his left leg bent slightly forward at the knee as he leaned back on the ball of his right foot. He braced his right arm at his side parallel to his waist with his fist clenched and his knuckles down as he raised his left arm in a horizontal guard position. "Begin!"

The blonde dashed towards the older teacher as the silver-haired man closed the distance only to run into a thick cloud of choking red mist. Naruto met him with a brief taijutsu exchange before both shot back several feet.

"My eyes!" Mizuki roared vehemently, scrubbing his effected optics with the back of one hand even as he took a defensive stance and Naruto dropped back to the same stance he started in. "You little brat! What did you do to my eyes?"

"Interesting," Hinata commented.

"See something?" Sasuke asked as the pair leaned closer to watch the fight.

"His style balances his body on a central pivot. With a slight shift, he can use his dominant side for attack or he can shift back and use his opposite side for defense," Hinata explained. "And I get the feeling we haven't seen everything yet."

"What's the matter, Mizuki?" Naruto taunted, unraveling a silk sash from up his sleeve and wrapping it twice around his head, covering his own blinded eyes. "Don't tell me you're gonna be beat by an academy student."

"I. Will. Kill. YOU!" Mizuki growled, lunging towards Naruto's voice only to have the young man dance gracefully to one side. His foot touched down only to serve as a pivot as he threw a kick at the back of Mizuki's head. The teacher caught Naruto's leg and cranked up and around hard. The preteen spun through the air and landed remarkably lightly.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "No sound."

Hinata arched an eyebrow. "I think he's constantly channeling chakra into a cushion under his feet, so he's literally not hitting the floor. It must be part of his style, but without my byakugan to confirm it, it's only a hunch."

Naruto and Mizuki clashed back and forth, strike meeting parry, kick meeting block, grapples attempted only to be reversed. This stalemate continued for three long minutes, and Sasuke and Hinata sucked in a pair of worried breaths as the exchange ate away his time. "Naruto!" Hinata cried out. "you're gonna fail soon!"

"Funny thing about anger, if you let it consume you-" Naruto spun to a stop, back to back with Mizuki. "and soon enough, you lose sight of everything."

The silver haired teacher growled darkly as he started to turn, swinging for Naruto. Unfortunately for him thejinchuuriki was already in motion, dropping low and sweeping Mizuki's legs from beneath him an instant before going into a forward roll that transferred his momentum into a handspring that slammed both his feet into Mizuki's chest, propelling the instructor high into the air as he dropped his old abused wristwatch into the dust of the ring. The next stage of the combo had the blonde student grasping the older man's arm before throwing him as far from the ring as he could.

Mizuki grabbed the youth with his opposite arm and dragged him to his ultimate failure, even as he shot a small bolt of chakra at the timer. Naruto did a single hand seal performing a kawarmi technique, swapping himself with the nonfunctional watch he had dropped earlier. The youth bounced off the ground and Mizuki skidded back along the outside of the ring as the shrill scream of the alarm fell silent.

Naruto pulled himself off the ground as Hinata rushed into the ring with a small vial of clear eyedrops. "Did I do it?" he asked breathlessly.

"Looks like you did, but it's Mizuki-sensei's call." she answered, carefully flushing away the blinding compound.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," The silver-haired instructor said, applying the drops Sasuke had provided. "But since you were still in the air when time ran out, I'm going to have mark you as a failure."

"Two passes, one failure. Then it all comes down to the ninjutsu exam." Naruto soothed Hinata as the pair exited the ring.

"That's funny." Choji murmured, shaking his partial bag of chips.

"Can't you finish one of those bags in five minutes?" Shikamaru asked looking from the expired timer to the bag of chips.

"Yeah," the bigger boy confirmed. "And I started this bag at the start of Naruto's test.

_So if Naruto used up all his time,_ Shikamaru thought with a frown, _why are there still chips in that bag?_


End file.
